Nashville is awesome!

Justin and I had SUCH a good time! I never got to meet Taylor Swift, but I did get to eat lots of good BBQ and make some new friends. When we got there on Friday, we decided to take a tour of the Grand Ole Opry House and Opryland. (Well, we didn’t take an official tour…more like made up our own so we didn’t have to pay a small fortune. I told y’all I was thrifty!) Both places are incredible to see and are a great way to spend a free afternoon in Nashville. Here’s a mini picture tour…

 This is one of the entrances to Opryland. I totally want my house to have an entrance like this. (Minus the old woman.)

While walking around we were completely taken by surprise when we made our way to the huge atrium at the hotel. It is absolutely incredible! I took about 1,393,395,993 pictures.

Justin and I both loved this little cafe. I want those chairs to have in our own little outdoor cafe when we get a house.

Is this restaurant not gorgeous? All of the balconies you see are hotel rooms. We saw lots of people sitting out there drinking coffee. Smart people.

And finally, I snapped this pic as we were leaving. I LOVE the mirrored artwork behind the check-in desk. I might just have to recreate something like that…

 Have you been to Opryland before? Were you as amazed as we were by everything you saw?

(Image via Pinterest)

This is so lovely.

I need a book nook.

Stat.

That’s all.

This weekend we’re heading to Nashville to watch Georgia Tech play Middle Tennessee. Justin lured me there with promises of good BBQ and possible celebrity sightings. (That boy knows me too well.)

I’m fully expecting to meet Taylor Swift or Brad Paisley. Justin keeps trying to convince me that it’s a longshot, but I’m 100% convinced I’ll see them. And that we’ll become friends. Well, with Taylor Swift, not Brad Paisley. That might be weird.

But yes, Taylor Swift and I will become friends and I’ll be her personal interior designer. A girl can dream right?

Hope y’all have a great weekend!

A couple months ago my mother-in-law sent me an email about a discount fabric store she had heard about in Covington and thought I might want to check out. My friend Meghan (yes, same one from yesterday) is from Covington so I emailed her to see if she’d heard of Ocho Fabrics before. She had, and last week her and her sweet mom took me to browse fabrics to my heart’s content!

Y’all, I could look at fabrics for hours. (And I did.) Here’s the back of the warehouse that had row after row of seriously discounted fabrics. In fact, some I had just seen at another fabric store for much, much more a couple weeks before.

Look at all the possibilities!

I loved this fabric SO much. If I needed curtains, it would have come home with me that day!

These fun patterns would make great pillows!

During our searching, we found some gold and navy fabric that reminded us of a certain Atlanta school. Meghan didn’t like it. At all.

(Go Dawgs.)

And oh the nursery fabrics! When you go to a fabric store with a pregnant lady, you’re bound to look at nursery fabrics. They had such a cute selection!

I almost bought these two fabrics below to frame them (separately). The first fabric would look fabulous with a large silver frame and black mat. The bird fabric would make a cute smaller picture in a natural wood frame with a burlap mat.

 There you have it…a fabric for every occasion. I’m telling you, this place was worth the drive! Do y’all have any great fabric stores you want to share?

P.S. Fabric hunting is always better when you have fun people to go with. Thanks again Meghan and Mrs. Patton!

Is there anything more exciting than walking into a store and seeing this sign? Deal hunters rejoice! As we transition from Summer to Fall, now is the absolute best time to find great deals. Don’t wait until next Spring to decorate your outdoor spaces…do it now. There are fantastic deals on outdoor cushions, string lights, planters and more. I’ve even seen grills on clearance. Simply stock up on what you need and store it in the garage until Spring!

Now what if you don’t have an outdoor space but are looking to spruce up your bedroom our guestroom? Well, Target has you covered there as well. I saw at least 20 different bedding options all for under $60! Oh Target, how I love you. Here’s some pictures of what I found…

Cushions,

and string lights.

Huge planters that would look great flanking a front door,

and lots and lots of bedding.

 Y’all know I love sharing great deals that I find and keeping that in mind, my friend Meghan had a great idea…you guys can share yours too! If you find a great deal, simply email or tweet me a picture (along with the price and where you got it) and I’ll pick one entry a week to feature on the blog! Happy shopping!

I’m all about making life easier. I love to cook and chop, but sometimes I just want to snap my fingers and have dinner on the table. These tools are all about helping you make dinner quicker, easier and tastier. I mean, any time you leave the kitchen not annoyed, dinner tastes that much better, right? Starting in reverse order…

5. Pampered Chef Kernel Cutter, $8.00

I know what you’re thinking…you only eat fresh corn during the summer so why would you spend $8 on a tool to help you cut it off the cob? You could use a knife, right? Well, you could, but this tool is SO much easier to use. I’ve mentioned it before, but I love this little kernel cutter. I refuse to eat corn on the cob (I’m guessing it’s back from my many years with braces where I couldn’t eat it), so I’m always looking for an easy way to cut the kernels off. I’ve stopped looking. If you love corn, this tool is for you.

4. Rabbit Wine Stoppers

I love to cook with wine. And drink wine. Pretty much anything to do with wine makes me happy. What didn’t make me happy was trying to shove a cork back into an unfinished bottle. A couple times in desperation, my husband and I have been known to cram a paper towel in the bottle to “seal” it. (Just trying to keep it classy, folks.) We were in a store a few weeks ago when we noticed these cute little suckers. At under $6 for two, they are an incredible deal! The only hard part…picking which color you want.

 3. Pampered Chef Mix-n-Scraper, $14.50

Now before you go thinking this is Pampered Chef sponsored post, I’ll tell you now it’s not. My mom’s a teacher and in the past 20 years, she’s been invited to at least 50 Pampered Chef parties. I’m not too sure why, but teachers seem to always have “buy at home” parties. Of those 50 parties, I’ve been to at least half of them. I’ve seen every single product, and between my mom and I, we probably own it. Some I love, and some aren’t worth the money. If I’m sharing it, it means I love it and I think it’s better than something you’d find in a traditional store. Now back to this mix-n-scraper.  I own at least 5 of them in varying sizes and use them every. single. day. They’re heat safe, so I don’t worry about them melting, and they have the perfect ratio of spoon to scraper. Need a do-it-all spoon in your kitchen? This is it.

 2. Microplane Zester, $11.05

At only $11.05, this tool is WELL worth the money. One of the best ways to add flavor and perk up a dish is with citrus zest. Before I had this zester, I’d try to cut off the zest with a knife…very unsafe. I nearly cut my finger off more time than I can count, which I’m embarrassed to admit. This tool will zest any fruit you’ve got and will do it with ease. I also use this tool to grate chocolate and parmesan (thought not at the same time). I’m telling you, this will be the best $11 you’ve spend in your kitchen!

Finally drumroll……………..

1. Oxo Good Grips Tongs, $11.85

 I have no idea what I did before I had tongs. No, seriously. I use them to toss salads, flip meat in a pan or on the grill, mix spaghetti…the list is endless. If I could only have one kitchen tool for the rest of my life, I’d pick tongs. Hands down. At $11.85, I suggest you pick up more than one pair. The first time you need to use them and your husband already needs them for X,Y,Z…well it’s going to be really annoying. Not that I’d know from experience or anything.

There you have it, my top 5, under $15 kitchen tools!  What’s your favorite kitchen tool?

P.S. Look to the right of the post to see a few new additions to my sidebar (thanks to Mr. Smith). I’d love for you to “like” me. In life and, well, on Facebook. ‘Preciate ya!

Today I’m daydreaming about houses.

Something with a big front porch,

and lots of character.

Maybe tucked in the woods,

or on a plot of land with a couple chickens to spare.

It would definitely have Southern charm,

where drinking sweet tea on the porch after church is a must.

Sigh. A girl can dream, right?

What’s your dream house look like?

(All images borrowed from Pinterest.)

I bought this table several years ago for $10. It definitely had a nice shape, but the wood grain didn’t fit our style. In our old apartment, I simply put a tablecloth on top to give it the same look as a skirted table. That worked great in our old place, but I wanted something different when we moved into our current apartment. Here’s the transformation in pictures!

Step 1: Light sanding.

Step 2: A couple coats of glossy black paint.

Step 3: Taping off the pattern. I went with something bold and unexpected.

Step 4: Remove tape and fall in love.

Finished make-over!

And finally, here it is in the room. What a difference a coat of paint makes!

P.S. Doesn’t it make that $15 lamp look great?

I’m here to make a confession.

Y’all, I’m cheap.

I love coupons, and I don’t believe in paying full price for anything.

With that said,  I also believe in good quality. Whether I’m buying groceries, or a new table, I want to get the quality I believe in, for a price I can afford.

Enter, my lamp. This is still one of my favorite finds. I found it at Homegoods when, of course, I wasn’t in the market for a lamp. I don’t have very good eyesight, but believe me I can spot a clearance sticker from across the room! This lamp was on clearance for $15! I mean, come on. I have a hard time finding a lamp at Goodwill for around that. Jackpot!

The lamp works perfectly and doesn’t have any knicks or scrapes. To this day I have no clue why they marked it down. Even the cashier was surprised. Stay tuned because tomorrow I’m going to show you just where this lamp ended up.

P.S. Please tell me you got the Anchorman reference. If you didn’t, we’ll just pretend like you did.

In case you haven’t caught on by now, I love pasta. As a kid, I would only eat plain pasta and canned green beans. (Anyone, gag?) It took me well into my teen years before I even wanted sauce on my pasta. I was a strictly butter girl. Maybe Paula Dean is a distant relative of mine…

As much as I love a bowl of buttered pasta, my taste buds have grown up over the years. A few months ago I was craving chili mac. I had no idea where the craving came from since I’ve maybe eaten chili mac once in my life, but alas the craving needed to be fixed. That’s how this fantastic recipe came to be.

It might look like every chili mac you’ve ever seen, but the kick from the lime juice and 5 spice powder will tell you instantly this isn’t the same old, same old. And I didn’t stop there; melted cheddar cheese and bright, fresh cilantro will make this a dish you’ll crave again and again. Welcome to chili mac, with a twist.

Chili Mac

{ serves 2-3 }

1 tsp. coconut oil

1/2 pound lean ground beef

1 TBS garlic powder

2 pinches chili flakes

2 tsp. chili powder

2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. Chinese 5 spice powder

1/2 cup diced red onion, plus additional for garnishing

1 tsp. coarse sea salt; divided

1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock; divided

1 TBS tomato paste

1 1/2 cup diced, canned tomatoes

zest and juice from 1/2 lime

1/2 cup cheddar cheese

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

3 TBS chives, chopped (optional)

1/2 pound whole wheat spaghetti cooked and tossed with 1 TBS olive oil

Add coconut oil to a large saute pan and heat to medium-high. Once heated, add the ground beef to the pan and break up any large chunks with a wooden spoon. Brown meat, stirring occasionally, for 3-5 minutes or until meat no longer appears pink. Remove meat and set aside. Remove excess grease from pan, leaving only 1TBS of oil/grease.

Add the garlic powder, chili flakes, chili powder, cumin, and Chinese 5 spice powder to the pan. Stir frequently for 30 seconds or until the spices begin to smell fragrant.

Add the diced red onion and 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt along with 1/4 cup of stock to the pan and lower head to medium. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until onions begin to soften and the stock has begun to reduce.

Add the tomato paste, diced tomatoes, remaining 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt and remaining 1/4 cup of stock to the pan. Make sure the heat is at a simmer and cook mixture for 8-10 minutes, stirring often.

Remove from heat and add lime juice and zest. Toss to combine. Add any additional salt to fit your personal preference. Ladle meat mixture over individual bowls of spaghetti and top with cheese, cilantro, and optional diced red onion and chives. Enjoy!

{ Helpful Notes }

- Monterey Jack or Pepperjack would be a fantastic sub for the cheddar.

- If you don’t have red onion, you can use white, Spanish, Vidalia…you get the drift.

- If you like it really spicy, try topping your bowl with chopped pickled jalapenos.